PTB's Writing Challenge 2013
by SilverAnemone13
Summary: Jacob reunites with an old flame and sparks fly. But underneath the attraction and desire to be together hides a past of betrayal, lies and heartbreak.
1. Rocky Horizons

**AN: So, this is my first entry to the Writing Challenge 2013. I'm super excited about getting started because I've been procrastinating all through January. I have absolutely no concept for this story because I have no idea what the challenges will be about, so this story is going to be as much a surprise for me as it's going to be for you. Hopefully it will turn out all right.**

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Challenge Number/Title: #1 - Rocky Horizons  
Date Posted: February 4, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jacob's POV**

It's a usual, hot day and as long as he could get away without one, no man will walk around with a shirt on. Except Mr. Donovan down the road; he'll do whatever the hell he wants.

I watch him as he's leaning against the back of his truck. No shirt, just cowboy boots crossed casually at the ankles and a cowboy hat that's bent down, shading his cell phone from the sun. Jasper has always been beautiful, but now it seems like it's magnified by my need to be closer to him.

I wasn't supposed to go this way, but somehow I end up here. I want to say it's just a coincidence my subconscious decided to take this road back into town. I wasn't thinking about directions, but about him. And he does so happen to work here now.

I contemplate if I should turn back and take the long scenery route. Exercise and beautiful nature never hurt anyone. I sigh at my desperate attempt to make excuses and make my way down the driveway. At the sound of my footsteps, he looks up. I halt in my steps but continue on. He definitely noticed my hesitation.

"Hi," he says, trying to sound casual, but I can hear the hope in his voice. Doesn't he remember that I know him better than I know myself?

"Hey," I respond, trying to think of something to say as I approach him. He straightens up and puts his phone in his back pocket.

"How's," I start, but pause wracking my brain for a safe topic, "work?" Yes, that's good. Appropriate.

"Uhm, work's fine, I guess," he says uncertainly. There's a weird moment where we look each other directly in the eye. His shining blue eyes bring back happy memories from when things weren't so damn complicated.

I switch my gaze to his mouth and then quickly divert it again when I realize that's just as bad.

"That's good," I say, trying not to make it more awkward than it already is by not talking.

"Jacob, I—" he starts but I cut him off.

"Look, I really have to get into town right now." I don't know what he was going to say but it's the first time I've heard him say my name since the day he came back.

"Let's just… meet later or something." I look in the direction of the town, waiting for him to say 'goodbye'.

Seconds pass and he doesn't speak, so I turn my head to just say it for him when I discover he'd moved a lot closer to me. I get the urge to take a step back but I stay rooted to the spot, captured by the look in his eyes.

"You haven't spoken to me since the day I came back," he says, taking a small step closer. "You walk out of a room if I enter, and you won't even look me in the eyes."

As he says this, I have to look down. Doesn't he understand how painful it is for me?

When he's finally standing right in front of me, he lifts my chin and I shiver from the electric touch. It's been so long since I've felt it.

"Can't we just talk?" I want to push him away and run, but I still don't move an inch. He withdraws his hand once he's sure I'll keep my stare on him.

"If you want to yell, just yell," he pushes on. This makes me a little angry. Why would I yell at him?

"You hate me, right? Why don't you just say it and get it over with?" His voice grows louder with each sentence he speaks and so does my anger.

"Say it! Say you hate me."

"It's not true," I say, gritting my teeth and trying not to yell.

"Yes, it is. You hate me, just say it!"

"No," I say firmly. He's beginning to sound manic.

"Say it!"

"No!"

I barely get the word off my tongue before he's pushing his into my mouth. His hands are on either side of my face, and his kisses are rough and sloppy.

At first I let myself feel his lips and taste his familiar flavor. But I'm still angry and this move just adds fuel to the fire. I put my hands on his chest and push hard. He stumbles backwards, clearly surprised.

"You broke my heart, Jasper!" I don't have time to stop the word vomit before it's already out. His eyes widen, and I watch as his expression changes emotions. From surprise to realization to devastation. After that I can't watch anymore. I turn around and walk away, not even looking back as I turn the corner.

* * *

"Hey, Jacob, think fast!" I hear before a ball hits the side of my head. I pick it up and throw it back into Emmett's stupid face.

"Ouch, man. You don't have to be so angry about it."

I groan and drop my head into my hands. I've been having angry outbursts all week. Well, since _that_ day.

"I know you're angry with him, but you should _tell_ _him_ instead of taking it out on me and everyone else."

"You know I can't do that." I've told Emmett about everything that happened back then. He's been there to support me and I honestly don't know how I would have made it through without him. There are downsides to his advice sometimes though. It's always the logical thing to do and it's always the last thing I want to do.

"No, I know that you _won't_ do that. How are you ever going to get over him and move on if you keep avoiding the issue?"

I narrow my eyes. "I _am_ over him."

Emmett laughs and shakes his head. "Welcome to the land of denial. Population, you."

I scoff and take another swig of my beer. He's right of course, but I would never tell him that outright. I know I won't find a solution at the end of my beer bottle so I leave it behind, tell Em thanks for listening and head home. I don't mind much that Em's place is far from mine, because I can use the time and fresh air to think.

Maybe I should just talk to him, get it over with. It's just… I have no idea how I feel about this whole thing to begin with. If I'm being completely honest, there's a part of me that wants to forget everything and jump into his arms.

That part of me still loves him.

He got it wrong though. I've missed him like crazy and every time I see him, I have to leave the room so I won't do something I'll regret. I don't look him in the eyes because they have power over me and I hate it. That also makes it pretty obvious why I haven't talked to him.

I pull out a loosie from the inside pocket of my jacket, thinking I don't have to feel guilty about smoking it. I sigh in satisfaction as I exhale, watching the smoke blur out into the dark night.

"Didn't think you still smoked." I stop and turn quickly. He's leaning against a stack of chopped firewood under a shed.

"Jasper."

"I hope it's alright, I knew you'd be walking this way home," he says nervously. At least he has the decency to sweat a little this time. I hate how confident he was last time.

"Actually, I would like to be alone right now. I hope that's alright," I respond, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I continue walking.

He catches up to me quickly. "Look, I'm sorry about the other day, I really am, but you gotta see this from my side too!"

I stop again as my momentary surprise turns to anger. How dare he!

"Really? Then please explain to me what your side is."

"What?" he says, obviously caught off guard by my request.

"No, wait I have a better idea. Why don't I tell you what your side is?" My anger is spiraling now and I have no control over the things that come out of my mouth.

"You start a secret fuck buddy relationship with the only gay man in this town, make him fall in love with you and then leave him like trash."

I notice he's about to interrupt so I continue on hastily. "And when you finally come back two years later, you immediately think you can just pick up where you left off. When he refuses, you think he's punishing you for leaving and that he's just playing 'hard to get'."

I don't know why I'm referring to myself in third person. Maybe it's because it makes this easier to say to him while I'm looking him straight in the eye.

"You need to fucking grow up and think about someone other than yourself!"

I start to walk again when I think of something else I have to say. "I hate you for what you did then, but I despise you for what you're doing now."

I'm shocked when I see tears streaming down his cheeks. I've never seen Jasper cry before.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Jake, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He kneels down on the cold, wet ground, crying uncontrollably.

"I'm so much in love with you, I don't know what to do. Everything comes out wrong, my actions, my words. Everything's just wrong."

He hastily wipes his face before he looks up at me. "I don't deserve you and I'm all kinds of wrong for you, but I'm a selfish person and all I want is you."

Jasper's heartfelt confession catches me completely and utterly off guard, and for a moment, all I do is gape at him, trying to figure out what I'm thinking.

I kneel down too because, suddenly, I've lost all will to hold power over him. I'm still his. I always was and I always will be.

"You love me?" I raise my voice in the end to make it sound like a question because I want to be sure. I need to hear him say it.

"I love you," he responds without hesitation. "Of course I love you, how can you—"

I cut him off with a kiss. I know I'll need more than this—a real explanation—but for now, I'll happily settle with this if it means I can kiss him.

He gets over his initial shock and kisses me back. It's soft and sweet, and as I pull away, I lay my forehead against his.

"I want to be with you," I say, wanting to reassure him. "But I still don't forgive you."

"That's okay. I know I have to earn it." He smiles sadly before he looks into my eyes. "And I will."

"Good." I kiss him again and this time I don't pull back. His tongue traces my lower lip, teasing me, and I let my tongue join his as I pull at his hair. It's only when I realize we're still on the ground that I break away from him, panting and a little dizzy.

I stand, extending my hand to Jasper and he grabs it to hoist himself up. I immediately put my hands around his hips and lean my head on his shoulder. The sky is pitch black with the only light coming from the moon. I've always been strangely transfixed by the moon. It makes me feel small and powerful at the same time, and I often spend nights looking out the window, thinking about running away from it all. The moon would be my guidance.

Suddenly, a thought strikes me and I pull away from Jasper, meeting his curious, blue eyes.

"Let's run away." He takes a second to study me until he realizes I'm serious.

"But, where, I mean how?" he rambles, trying to decipher my words. The fact that he isn't laughing right now makes me certain that he'd be willing to do this. With me.

"Take me away, cowboy." My grin is enormous when I realize _I'm_ seriously willing to do this. With him.

"Where to, darlin'?"

Our matching grins grow bigger and bigger until we're both laughing from being so deliriously happy.

I know I'm not making a mistake. It may seem like I'm just desperate to get him back because I don't want to be alone, but that's not true at all. I love him with all my heart and that's the only thing that's been real in my life for the past four years. Everything was turned upside down when I met him and everything crumbled when he left. There's not a doubt in my mind that we're soul mates and now there's no doubt in my mind that he knows it too.

We hurry home—first to my place and then to his—to collect our belongings. I don't bring much, just basic clothes, food and some of my favorite things like my guitar and records. Jasper brings more stuff, but only because he hasn't really gotten around to unpack so most of his stuff is in boxes already.

We unload my stuff from my truck and pack everything in his. I decide to leave my truck with Emmett, knowing he's been saving up for a car for years and isn't even close to having enough because of his parents' debt.

I put the keys and a note in his mailbox. It's not goodbye and I know he'll call me when he wakes up in the morning, but I still feel like I should leave something.

"Ready, darlin'?" Jasper asks from the truck.

I climb in the passenger seat and quickly kiss him. "I've always been ready."

He smiles and kisses me before making his way to the main road. I grab his hand and hold on tight as we drive into the darkness.

I look out the window and see rocky horizons in front of us, but I know we'll make it. Because now my life finally makes sense again.

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**AN: I actually started writing this for the Heart of Country Contest before I realized it would be perfect for the Rocky Horizons challenge. I probably wouldn't have made the deadline for the contest anyway.**

**I decided on a music and picture prompt before I changed my mind about the contest, so the story is inspired by a very sexy cowboy picture and two songs. 'Cowboy Take Me Away - Dixie Chicks' and 'Farewell To The Fairground - White Lies'. ****Both have the same theme—running away. **


	2. The Empty Glass

Challenge Number/Title: #2 – The Empty Glass  
Date Posted: February 7, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jacob's POV**

I open my eyes to a dark room. I furrow my brows in confusion as I try to figure out why it's still night, and why I'm completely rested. As I slowly come out of the grogginess from sleeping, I look around the unfamiliar room.

Suddenly, a soft sigh escapes beside me. My body jumps in surprise and my heart hammers at a million beats a second, until I notice the more than familiar sleeping form lying on the bed beside me.

It all comes back to me in a flash. The fight, our revelations, and the running.

Jasper and I discussed where to go and all I could think was, _Let's get the hell out of this godforsaken state._ So that's what we did. We took turns driving, and although we didn't get to talk much, it was worth it. Because yesterday, we arrived here in Denver, Colorado.

With every state we drove through, I felt more and more unburdened. Like a bird that has been injured and is finally able to fly again. _Free. _

I lie down beside my beautiful man and watch as his chest rises and falls with every breath he takes. He's lying on his back, his head turned toward me and his left hand slung over his bare chest. His gorgeous blonde curls falls as a halo around his head, framing his perfect features.

Another soft sigh leaves his pale lips. I can't help but trace his bottom lip with my finger, leaving feather-light touches along his cheek until my fingers weave into his silky hair.

I wonder what lies ahead of us. _Where will we go? Who will we meet?_ It's all an open book, and I love the feeling it gives me.

Jasper stirs as he awakens slowly. He yawns and stretches out, his arms coming up above his head while his feet stick out from the duvet. He blinks a few times before his gaze lands on me, and then a wide, sleepy grin spreads across his face, lighting up his soulful eyes.

"Mornin', cowboy."

"That's my line," I tease, smiling at our old inside joke. Jasper insists that I'm just as much a cowboy as he is, and I argue that as a Native American, I look more like an Indian from a small tribe than a cowboy on a ranch.

He straightens up a little so his upper body is resting against his elbows, and his eyes become more serious somehow.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to wake up next to you."

"You just did," I whisper as I lean into him, pressing my lips gently to his. It's a lazy kiss, but we're still just waking up. I pull back and push him down onto his back so I can lay my head on his chest.

My mom always said that happiness in your life can be measured in a glass. Sometimes it won't be full and sometimes it might even be empty. But then there are those moments where the glass is overflowing. Those are the moments that make life worth living.

Well, my glass has been mostly empty for the past two years, and now it's slowly starting to fill. Drop by drop, Jasper brings happiness and meaning into my life once again.

We lie here for a while, just enjoying the silence and being with each other. Jasper strokes my hair while I draw lazy circles on his stomach until we eventually agree to get back on the road.

"So," Jasper says, looking at me as he starts the car. "Where do you want to go?"

"Well, I was actually thinking about Washington."

"Washington?"

"Not the capital, the state. I want to visit my mother's grave."

When my mom died, my dad wanted to get away from all the painful memories. We moved to Austin, where his grandfather was from originally and where he still had family.

Jasper nods and grips my hand, showing his support. He's one of the few people who knows what happened when she died. Going back to La Push will be hard for me, but it's something I know I need to do. Now I have the perfect opportunity.

We drive a few hours before the sun starts coming up. I watch as the clouds change color from blue to yellow with all the different shades of pink and red in between. The moon might have me spellbound, but the sunrise is the most amazing sight I have ever seen.

My eyes automatically turn to Jasper, and I chuckle as I think that the sunrise's captivating beauty is nothing compared to his.

He gives me a questioning look. "What?"

I just smile and shake my head. It's too embarrassing and corny to tell him.

Instead of trying to get it out of me, he just takes my hand, brings it to his mouth and kisses the back of it. "I love you, Jake."

So maybe I shouldn't worry about saying something corny to him. I forget he's Mr. Corny.

I roll my eyes even as I blush, diverting my gaze back to the sunrise when I realize he's waiting for me to say, _I love you, too_. I'm definitely not ready for that yet. I'm not angry at him and I don't want things to be awkward, but I'm just not ready.

"I understand how you feel, and if there's something I don't want, it's to push you," Jasper says, reassuring me. "I said I would earn your forgiveness, and I intend to."

I scoot over and lay my head on his shoulder, sighing contently. "I know."

I don't say anything else and neither does he. We've kind of settled the situation for now, but I know there's still a lot to talk about. As much as I just want to forget about the past and move on to being happy, that's just not possible. There's sure to be yelling and crying and that's what scares me, but I hope there will also be forgiveness. From the both of us.


	3. Word Play

Challenge Number/Title: #3 – Word Play  
Date Posted: February 13, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jacob's POV**

"Summit."

"Tom Cruise."

"It cannot be names," I protest.

"Ugh, fine. Um, t, t, t, table."

I sigh and drop my head against the headrest. "This game sucks."

"Well, let's try another," Jasper encourages. "I'll think of a famous person and you ask me questions with a yes/no answer."

"Sure, sure."

We've been trying out different road trip games for half an hour, but I'm beginning to feel inexplicably bored.

"All right, I got one."

What do you usually ask? Age? No that would have to be specific. Gender, perhaps.

"Is X a man?"

"Yes."

"Um, profession. How do I phrase that?"

Jasper smirks. "Do you need a hint already?"

I narrow my eyes and ignore his teasing. "Is he an actor?"

"No."

"Is he… a cartoon character?"

"No," he answers, chuckling.

"You never know," I mumble. He looks at me for a moment, smiling that smile I love so much—letting me see just a hint of his dimples but with a soft look in his eyes.

"Is he a war hero?"

"No."

"War villain?"

Jasper laughs at this. "What?"

"Politician, royalty, news anchor—"

"Wait, wait, you guessed it," he says, cutting off my rambling. "He's royal."

"Interesting," I muse, trying to think of the most famous royal people. "Wait, is he still alive?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, Jasper it could be anybody. I give up."

He doesn't say anything, just looks at me briefly with amusement in his eyes. I divert my gaze and spot a diner up the road.

"Hey, let's pull over here and rest for a while. I'm hungry."

Jasper laughs heartily. "Of course you are."

The place looks like any other roadside diner from the outside, but as soon as we walk through the door we're greeted by a 70s theme. A giant peace sign hangs on the wall opposite the door, pictures of different artists such as The Beatles and Elvis decorate the walls and what I'm pretty sure are black light posters adorn the space above each booth.

The waitress takes our order after we're seated and rolls away on her roller skates. Jasper and I both crack up after she's out of earshot.

"Can you believe this place?" he asks.

"I know! Have you seen the black light posters? We should come again when it's dark."

"Yeah, they're definitely… groovy." He smirks at his own joke and I roll my eyes.

"Hey, hey. What does a tomb and stuff from the 70s have in common?" he asks excitedly. I decide to play along.

"I don't know. What?"

"They both belong buried under a pyramid."

Despite the lame joke, I can't help but laugh. Jasper doesn't joke much, but when he does he's the most adorable thing I've ever seen. He's just not as funny as he thinks he is.

Our burgers arrive fast— unsurprising, as we're the only people in the diner—and we sit and eat in silence for a while. The lettuce on my burger takes kind of funny. Until I realize it isn't lettuce.

"They put cabbage in my burger," I exclaim in a low voice.

Jasper furrows his brows, opens his burger to check for cabbage, and shrugs. "So?"

"You're not supposed to put cabbage on a burger!" I still try to keep my voice low. Despite the cabbage, I don't want to offend the chef.

"Jacob, you already ate half of it before you realized it was cabbage," he reasons.

"Still."

Jasper smirks but thankfully changes the subject. "Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"Who the famous royal person is, of course."

Oh. I'd forgotten all about that. Might as well humor him anyway.

"Sure, sure."

"King Henry the Eighth." I know what that smile means. History lesson.

"Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived," I list, wanting to show off a little but also save myself a lesson I've already learned.

His mouth hangs open slightly and his eyes are disbelieving. I smirk, not trying to hide my self-satisfaction. It reminds me of the _Friends_ episode where Phoebe learns the title of some theory and recites it to Ross just to freak him out. Priceless.

"Wh- wha," he stutters. "_How?_"

"I had history in school too, you know."

His surprise changes to confusion. "But you never paid any attention."

"Well, I _usually_ didn't pay any attention, but this subject actually interested me."

Jasper still doesn't look like he knows what I'm talking about. "Come on. The guy changed wives like he changed underwear, and had tons of mistresses."

"So, that's why you like him?" Jasper asks skeptically.

"No, I don't like him. I just feel sorry for the poor guy," I answer, sipping my Sprite. Jasper doesn't say anything but gives me a look that clearly says 'elaborate.'

"Since homosexuality didn't 'exist,'" I say, air-quoting 'exist,' "how was he supposed to know what was wrong with him?"

Jasper gapes at me for a second before he bursts out laughing.

"What?" I ask, not seeing what's so funny about my theory. How could he _not_ have been gay? It makes perfect sense.

"Oh, Jesus, Jake," he says, wiping tears from his eyes. "Your imagination never ceases to amaze me."

I feel my cheeks heat up, and I look down—though it's not from embarrassment—when I think just how amazing my imagination is. Amazingly explicit.

I shake my head, trying to rid my brain of these thoughts. I know I'm not ready for a physical relationship with Jasper. What we have now is hard to explain because we aren't just friends but we definitely aren't lovers either. I think I set it all on the backburner when I decided I wanted to get out of Austin. Right now I want to discover who I am without Texas breathing down my neck and everywhere around me. Is doing that with Jasper by my side the best idea? Probably not, but I have a track record of making rash decisions, following my heart in the spur of the moment.

"Jacob?" Jasper says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You okay? You spaced out there for a moment."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, pulling money out of my wallet, paying for the food and leaving a generous tip for the waitress. "Let's get back on the road."

As we drive through Colorado and into Wyoming, I come to a conclusion. The pink elephant sitting between me and Jasper will have to continue to stay where it is until I've dealt with everything else in my life. I could say it's because it's more important, and that I need to work on myself before I can commit to him, but that would a lie. I'm just not ready yet.


	4. Mother's Forgiveness

**AN: I had such an amazing time last night. And the best part? I'm not even hung-over!  
Then I wake up to find this chapter back from transit, so that dotted my 'I' and crossed my 'T'. **

**Enjoy!**

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Challenge Number/Title: #4 – Mother's Forgiveness  
Date Posted: February 24, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jacob's POV**

The wind is strong and cold, and I'm clinging to my coat, trying to keep warm. The heat is most definitely the only thing I miss about Texas.

As I watch the waves crash against the cliffs, I feel a pair of arms encircling my waist from behind. I sigh and lean into Jasper's warmth as he kisses my neck.

"My mom loved the beach," I say. "Her ashes were even scattered out over the ocean from right where we're standing."

My mom had always been a free spirit. It took a while, but after several years, my dad finally got her to marry him and settle down. When she was still alive, I remember him telling my sisters and me countless times the story of how they met, and I never grew tired of hearing it because he would tell it with so much passion and love. I can say with absolute certainty that he and my mom were soul mates.

I loosen Jasper's hold on me so I can turn around. "Will you wait in the truck for me?"

He immediately nods and offers me a sad smile before walking back to the truck.

I find a relatively dry spot and sit down on the cold ground with my legs hanging over the cliff.

"Hi, Mom," I say, imagining her in my mind. "There are so many things I want to tell you, but I don't know where to start."

I take a deep breath trying to sort my thoughts before finally just saying the most important thing. "I'm sorry, Mom. Everybody keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault, it was the drunk driver's, but all I can think about is, if I hadn't run away that night you, would have never gone to look for me and you'd still be alive."

I drop my head into my hands and pull my hair to keep from crying. This is harder than I thought it would be.

"I'm sorry you weren't there to watch Rebecca and Rachel grow up. I'm sorry you were separated from your husband, but most of all, I'm sorry you didn't get to live your life."

I press my palms into my eyes to keep the tears from spilling, but it's no use. So I give up and just let them fall. "Mom, I—I." I stop babbling and take a deep breath. "Forgive me."

I sit here and cry for a while—the way I never cry for anything else. The relief of it all is immediate, and I find myself smiling through my tears.

"I wanna say thank you, too, Mom. For the life you've given me and the strength to live it. It's not been easy without you, but it's been harder on everyone else. I guess that's why I've kept the guilt all these years. I'll try to let it go, Mom, because I know that's what you would have wanted for me, but I'm not sure I can."

Beginning to feel like I'm praying, I stop with the heavy stuff and move on to the things in my life that give me joy. Like Jasper.

"I've met a guy, and he's… amazing. It's complicated, but I don't want to let him go." I look back to the truck and see Jasper leaning against the side, facing away to give me privacy. The gesture makes me smile.

I think of how to best describe how I feel about him—what he means to me—and I realize the perfect way to do that. "He's the water that overflows my glass."

I think about what that means. Do I really need him to be happy? Sadly, right now I believe the answer to that question is yes. My life in Austin was wash, rinse, and repeat. Except for Emmett, I don't have any friends, and my dad moved to Hawaii when I graduated high school to live with Rebecca, her husband and their child. I've lived alone since then, and beside Jasper, there haven't been many romances to talk about.

Maybe if I'd taken Becs up on her offer to move to Hawaii with my dad, it could have been different. Five years changes a lot from when you're 18, and I truly thought being out of high school meant the beginning of a happy life. I guess life is what happens when you're too busy making other plans.

"I'm afraid of committing to him again, Mom, because … what if it ends like last time? What will happen to me? I can't fall apart again; it'll destroy me completely. Or at least that's what I fear."

It feels liberating to finally put my insecurities about Jasper into words. There's a lot holding me back from just being with him. I thought pushing the talk about the past would be fine, but I see now that it's only hindering us from moving forward. That's not what I want.

I stand up with some trouble, my head dizzy from crying and my ass sore from sitting on the hard ground.

"Damn, why does everything have to be so hard and cold in Washington?"

I hear a chuckle from behind me and turn around just as Jasper reaches me. "Eavesdropping?" I tease, knowing very well he wasn't.

"I took your standing up as a sign that you're finished," he says but his eyes turn it into a question.

"Yeah, I think I am."

Jasper doesn't move and neither do I when his hand cups my jaw, wiping the remaining tears away with his thumb. We look into each other's eyes for a few moments before I smile brightly, step closer to him so there is no space between our bodies, and burrow my face in the crook of his neck. I let myself enjoy the moment of comfort in his arms until it gets too cold and we head into the city to find a hotel.

Before we leave though, I promise my mom I'll visit again soon, and next time, I hope I'll only bring good news.


	5. The Limerick

**AN: I'll bang out as many chapters as I can before exams and then I hope to really catch up in summer vacation. I knew this was going to be a challenge but… **_**damn**_**. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Challenge Number/Title: #5 – The Limerick  
Date Posted: April 25, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jasper's POV**

"Jacob, are you sure this is it?" I ask him as we stand in front of Clearwater's Inn.

"Positive," he says. "This is where I grew up."

I open the small gate and step onto the pavement leading up to the house, but Jake holds me back.

"What are you doing?" he asks as if I plan to rob a bank.

"This is an inn and we need a place to sleep. It's two and two together, Jake."

He looks from me to the inn and back again before finally sighing and releasing his hold on me. As we step through the front door, my body relaxes completely from the warmth. The house is very cozy and has a homey feel to it, though the front desk tells us this isn't a private home.

"Hello! What can I do for you?" a young woman asks, walking out from what I presume is the kitchen. She has the same russet skin color as Jacob and chin-length black hair. Her features are rough and might give off a hostile vibe if not for her smile.

I reach out to shake her hand. "My name's Jasper and this is Jacob," I inform her, nodding my head backwards.

"Leah Clearwater," she says, shaking my hand firmly and looking over my shoulder with her brows furrowed. "Aren't you a little too old to have invisible friends?"

I turn around and find that Jacob isn't right behind me as I had thought. I do a quick scan and spot him in the living room, adjacent to the entrance.

"Can you hold on for just a minute?" I ask Leah.

She nods. "I'll be in the kitchen, just use the bell on the counter or holler."

I walk up behind Jacob and put my arms around his waist, resting my chin on his shoulder. This is definitely my favorite way to hold him, especially when he becomes quiet and thoughtful.

"Everything okay?"

He covers my arms with his own and sighs deeply. "No, just … remembering."

"Is the house the same as when you lived here?"

"No, it's been renovated. I don't know about the kitchen or upstairs but I bet it's the same," he says, not sounding sad like I'd expect him to. "This is the same though." He brushes his hand over the fireplace, lingering in memory before turning. "Let's get a room so we can see the rest of the place."

I ring the bell, not feeling comfortable yelling for Leah in an inn where other people might be staying. She emerges from the kitchen, wringing her hands in her apron.

"Ready to book a room?" Her eyes wander to Jacob and she halts in her step. "Jacob Black?"

I turn my head to Jacob, realizing they know each other by the look on his face.

"Leah?" he asks, stepping toward her.

"Oh, my, God, Jacob, it really _is_ you!"

Leah wraps her arms around Jacob, hugging him to her tightly. They're obviously close. Or used to be. I wonder why he never mentioned her.

"This is such a nice surprise!" she says, letting go of him, but still holding on to his forearms. "What brings you back here?"

Jacob's smile falters slightly. "Well, I came here for my mom. You know, to visit her grave."

"Oh, Jacob, I'm—"

"It's fine. It was actually really great." Leah nods, smiling softly before looking timidly at me, now seeing me as Jacob's companion. He notices before the moment turns awkward and takes my hand with a gleam in his eyes.

"Jasper, this is Leah Clearwater, my childhood friend. Leah, this is—"

I cut him off before he can introduce me. "We met before, though I guess it doesn't hurt to formally introduce myself. Jasper Whitlock, pleasure to meet you."

As I shake her hand, I wonder why I didn't let him finish. I try to act as if I'm not seeing the fleeting look Leah gives Jakes before I get the once-over. I honestly don't know if she approves or not. She's difficult to read, but I have a feeling that's her intent.

"Nice to formally meet you, too," she finally says as she relaxes her pose, immediately giving off an entirely different vibe. "Before I forget, Jacob, there's something I've always wanted to show you."

She starts to walk up the stairs with Jake following her, but I stay back, not knowing if it's appropriate for me to come with. Thankfully, Jake turns back and holds out his hand for me.

Leah leads us to the attic where there are a few boxes stacked neatly against the wall along with a bunch of old furniture.

"I found this here when I moved in," she says, motioning to the boxes. "It's mostly old letters and a few clothing items, but there are stuff like picture frames and a watch."

"This was my mom's?"

Leah nods in confirmation and backs away. "I'll go start dinner."

After a few minutes of just staring at the boxes, Jacob finally starts to open one. "I can't believe my dad never told me he left these behind when we moved to Texas."

"There's probably a good reason for why he didn't, and why he didn't bring them with him in the first place," I respond.

Jacob just shrugs and keeps looking through the box. "This is just a bunch of letters," he says, almost disappointed.

"Well open one—see what it says, who it's from, who it's sent to."

He sighs but does it anyway, shaking it a bit at arm's length to get some of the dust off.

"_I really don't know what to say_

_Except, you blow me away_

_With your dazzling smile_

_That makes it all worthwhile_

_Always with you is my favorite day_," he says, looking at me. "It sound like some kind of … poem?"

"Wait, let me see that," I say, taking the letter from him. I count all the syllables and check the rhymes. "I'm right—it _is_ a limerick."

"A limer-what?"

"A limerick. It's a special kind of poem." I look down at all the other letters in the box. "Do you think your parents wrote limericks to each other?"

Jake picks up another one and reads it. "Yeah, this one has a limerick in it too."

We spend a few hours reading through the old letters and finding pictures of Jacob's parents as a young couple. I now see where Jacob and his sisters got their looks from.

We of course miss dinner in the process, so after we're done, we find a cozy diner and end up staying until closing time. Jacob can't stop talking about his mom and the happy memories he has of her, and it warms my heart to see him so at peace. I hope he's finally let go of his guilt.

"Jasper?"

"Huh?" I break free from the daze I was in and focus on Jacob's hand waving in front of me. I grab it and lower it to the table, not letting go. I notice his eyes focusing on our hands for a second before they find mine.

"I, uh, just wanted to say … thank you."

As I keep eye contact with the beautiful man in front of me, I turn his hand and intertwine our fingers. The only thing that would make this moment more perfect is a kiss. But I'll take what I can get.

* * *

**AN: I'm struggling with wanting them to have that damn talk and finding the right moment. It's difficult because of the challenges and how they need to fit in to the story.**


	6. Talk My Ear Off

**AN: Right, okay. I actually had a Vegas chapter ready for challenge #6 when I realized I hated it. The inanimate POV was difficult to write and it was essentially just filler—they weren't moving along like I wanted them to. Thus, I decided to skip two challenges and just move on to #8.**

* * *

Challenge Number/Title: #8 – Talk My Ear Off  
Date Posted: May 2, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

Jacob's POV

Surprisingly, a lot of people have shown up for Leah's last minute invite to her barbeque. I only know half the people here.

"Look, I'm not saying it's the best solution right now, but think about it," Mr. Ramnen says, drawing in a circle of people with his interesting sentiments and well defined words. "If this pulls through, it could be revolutionary for our country!"

I shake my head, not because I don't agree, but because I actually don't think I completely know what he's talking about.

"Don't mind Mr. Ramnen," Leah says, coming up behind me. "He's very charismatic, but he has no idea what the hell he's talking about."

She winks and walks on, maneuvering her way through the crowd into the kitchen. I spot Jasper and avert my eyes, knowing it's too late. He's already seen me. I sigh and make my way upstairs, needing some quiet for a few minutes.

"What are you doing?"

I know he knows I heard him, but I keep walking up the stairs anyway.

"Jacob," he tries again. I hasten my steps, making it to our room finally.

"I know you're avoiding it," Jasper suddenly blurts out, and I freeze with my hand on the doorknob.

"Don't get me wrong; I am too, and I wasn't intending to say anything until you brought it up, but…"

I turn, willing him to stop talking, but knowing it's already too late. The look on his face assures me it's necessary even as I see remorse swimming in his ocean blue eyes.

"I'm so happy to be with you, that you decided to come with me, because I love you—you know I do."

He takes a breath, and I steady myself for what's to come.

"I just can't keep tip-toeing around you anymore, Jake. There's this wall between us, and I hate it. I can feel it when we make eye contact for more than five seconds and you look away, I can feel it when I hold you and your posture is just a little too stiff to be completely comfortable." He stops and lifts his head, locking eyes with me.

"You can feel it when we kiss because I'm always the first to pull away and never the one to initiate it," I finish for him. Jasper is quiet, and it's unnerving. I don't know what more to say, so I just open the door to our room and walk directly to the window, sitting down on the sill. He follows behind me, closing the door behind him and sits down on the desk chair.

"I should've—I thought—" He stops and rakes both his hands roughly through his hair before they land with a thud in his lap. I stare at them.

"There's no passion, no anger or real joy. It's not even been awkward and, fuck, I thought that was a good thing, but now I see it's because there's nothing. We're nothing."

I can't know for sure he's looking at me.

So I don't look up.

"We both have regrets, and we both have secrets, but that doesn't mean we should just … give up." Even as the words leave my lips, I know they have no meaning. He's right.

"I'm not givin' up."

Now I _know_ he's looking at me.

So I don't look up.

"But you are ending it," I say, my voice becoming more unsteady.

"Can't end something that hasn't begun, darlin'."

And that does it. That little, insignificant sign of some sort of affection ticks me.

"You wanna see anger?" I say, like the calm before the storm. "How about you for a selfish fucking asshole? You make this _grand gesture_ and then you just _quit_." I spit out the words, lacing them with sarcasm.

"But that's not even the funny part; you wanna know what that is?" I don't wait for him to react as I continue on. "The only reason I went along with this ridiculous _road trip_ was so I could get away from that fucking homophobic state I've never wanted to call home."

"Fuck you, Jacob, at least tell the fucking truth," Jasper says, rising up from his chair.

"That _is_ the fucking truth!"

Silence fills the room as we stare into each other's eyes. Challenging.

As his anger deflates, mine only grows. But I'm not angry at him. Not anymore.

"I feel sorry for myself, because no one else ever does." Once I've said the words I've rehearsed in my mind over and over again the last few days, my anger also dissipates, leaving only fear. "Our relationship was real, but I already had so much resentment, it was doomed to fail."

"I don't know—"

"Just … let me talk," I plead. He sits down again, silently telling me to go on. I hesitate though.

"Actually," I say, moving forward and bending down to kiss him one last time. When he gives me a questioning look, I lean my head to the side and run my fingers through his hair as I say, "Before you hate me forever."

I ignore his changing expressions as the secret I've kept to myself for so long finally comes out.

"When I decided I wanted to come out, it was unfair to push you to tell your parents. I regret that. When I told my father, and he reacted badly, I said a lot of things I'm still not proud of. I regret that."

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the worst part.

"When you didn't show that night, I thought you'd been grounded when you told your parents, and I was actually glad. I regret that. And when you sent that text, I stared at the words for ten minutes, my emotions changing like the wind. 'Sorry, I couldn't do it. I love you' still lingers in the back of my mind to this day. The anger I felt does too. I regret that. But what I truly hate myself for, is that you were forced to go to military academy because someone wrote an angry letter to your parents." I look up, needing him to know everything I'm feeling as I tell him this.

"And that someone was me."

* * *

**AN: Don't hate. It's a two part chapter, maybe even three, I haven't gotten all the details placed yet. **

**I'd also like to say that I'm sorry if some things don't quite add up. As you know, I'm writing this as I go along, so the fact that Jacob is mostly to blame here, wasn't clear in chapter one because I hadn't decided that then. When the story is over in 2014, I might revise this story so the details match, but for now I'm content with continuing as I've done. It is a writing challenge after all. **


	7. Finish It With

**AN: I'm feeling better about this story since I twisted its direction and I believe (hope) my writing shows that. Next chapter is in transit. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Challenge Number/Title: #9 – Finish It With…  
Date Posted: July 18, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jacob's POV**

_I stand in a meadow full of wild flowers: pink, yellow, green, red and blue all around me. The sun shines down upon me as I lay down in the soft grass. A sigh of contentment reaches my ears as I bask in this refreshing feeling. Wait, the sigh didn't come from my lips. I sit up quickly to see Jasper lying on the ground next to me. He turns his head and smiles. _

"_Isn't this wonderful?"_

_I nod in agreement because it really is. I cannot remember when I last felt this way. A nagging feeling emerges—something isn't right. _

"_Where are we?" I ask. But Jasper doesn't answer. He just turns his head toward the sun again, still smiling. _

_I look around, trying to figure out what's wrong when I see them. Or rather, us. Jasper and I are standing ten meters away in, what seem to be, a very heated argument. He's younger. And I'm younger, too. _

"_You can't decide this for me, Jacob! What happens if they kick me out and I have to drop out of college?" young Jasper yells. The words sound oddly familiar._

"_Then you move in with me! Why do you want to live a lie?" I yell back. Or, my younger self does. _

"_It's not that black and white for me, okay! I'm not close to my parents, but I don't want to lose them."_

"_You won't! They love you and are going to accept you for who you are once they get over the initial shock. You just have to—"_

"_No!" Jasper interrupts. "I said no, okay? Just leave it alone!"_

"_But—"_

"_Nooooo," Jasper draws out. "N. O. No." The way he talks reminds me of a parent being fed up with a child continuously asking for something, but not understanding that no means no. It also reminds me of a memory. This really happened. This was the day everything changed._

_I look taken aback by his demeaning tone. I remember being very offended and angry._

"_Fine! Have a nice life then!"_

_Young me begins to walk away when Jasper grabs my arm. "What does that mean?"_

_I jerk my arm away from him. "It means that if you want to live a lie that's fine, but I have no interest living it with you! I'm going home to tell my dad I'm gay, and then I'm coming back here. I'll give you until midnight to do the same or this relationship is over."_

_I watch myself walk away in synch with a beeping sound. It gets louder the further away my younger self gets. Beep, beep, beep. Louder and louder. _

My eyes open, and I'm momentarily confused by the sunlight now burning my eyes, the excessive beeping, and the fact that I'm not sitting up but lying down. I feel around me to find soft pillows and linen sheets. A bed. The alarm clock. It was just a dream.

I lift myself up, resting on my elbow as I block the sunlight from my eyes while trying to turn off the alarm. Finally, I manage to shut it up and lay down again, face down. My head aches. Why, oh, why did I have to drink so much last night? _Right! _The fight.

I try to piece things together as my brain comes to, giving me moments here and there. There was yelling, a _lot_ of yelling, drinking, also a fair amount of drinking and some shoving. What happened after I'd told him? Oh, yeah, now I remember…

"_You're a good actor, Jacob Black," Jasper says in an even voice, still staring at the ground. I wince. _

_I've let him believe I was the one who had been wronged. Sure, he left without a word and never returned any of my letters, but that had been born from my betrayal. _

_After he left, I hated myself for what I'd done. Then, sometime—months later—I let the resentment I felt for myself turn into resentment for him. I didn't even tell Emmett the whole truth; no one knows what kind of person I really am. _

"_I—" I start, not really knowing what I want to say, but he cuts me off._

"_No, I'm serious! You should get a fucking medal, an Oscar, your own star on the walk of fucking fame!" With each word his voice rises, and his grip on the arms of the chair tightens. _

_I know there's no way to salvage this. I knew it when I decided to tell him. Yet, I still try to conjure up some sort of explanation for what I did. I can't think of anything Jasper wouldn't consider complete and utter bullshit. _

_He shoots up from the chair suddenly, and I take an instinctive step back. _

"_Do you like to humiliate people? Was it fun to watch me beg for forgiveness, completely bare my soul to you, crawl at your fucking feet to earn your _trust _again?" He spits out the word trust, like it makes him physically ill to think about it. _

"_And you fucking kissed me," he says, wiping his lips. My gut tightens at his words, but I will myself not to say anything, fearing it'll make it worse. _

_I'm sure I see hurt surface for a second before he composes himself, masking his face in anger. "I don't—I can't even look at you."_

_When he turns to walk away, I finally react by stepping forward and grabbing his arm. "Jasper!"_

_He jerks his arm out of my grip like I had burned him, turns around and pushes hard against my chest. I stumble backward and almost fall on my ass. _

"_You fucking prick! How could you do this to me?" he screams. This is what I don't want to hear. All he's said so far has hurt, but this is going to break my heart completely. Because now I don't see a stranger pretending to love me. Now I see my Jasper who truly loved me for me and the reality of how I destroyed everything we had. _

"_I loved you so much. I was afraid you'd break my heart and that I'd never be able to love again. I guess I was fucking right! I spent the last two years trying my best to move on because I thought you deserved better than a cast-out fag, rejected by everyone—even his own parents. I never wanted to come back to that hell hole, but I came back for you! Because I couldn't stop thinking about you. No matter what I did, I couldn't move on." _

_His lips are trembling, nose flaring and eyes glistering. I can't tell anymore, but I think he's both furious and hurt. In the seconds it takes him to inhale deeply and release a long sigh, I know he's given up the anger. In that moment I understand what he meant. No anger, no passion. It's indifference. It's nothing._

_We're nothing. _

"_You know, I took you away because I thought we might start over. Life's too short to live among judgmental, homophobic people. Yeah, you only live once but…" He pauses, and what I could hear in his voice before, I now see wedged deep in his cool, blue eyes. Nothing._

"_I'm just not sure I want to live that life with you anymore."_

I scream. Loudly. I don't want to think about yesterday anymore. I want all the memories to go away, all of it. My mom and dad, my sisters, Texas and, most of all, Jasper. _Just go away!_

No more than ten seconds pass when Leah is bursting through the door to my room. Fuck, she heard me scream.

"What's going on here?" she asks, clearly exasperated but also worried.

"Nothing!" I know I've overstepped a line when I yell at her. Frankly, I'm so angry I can't seem to care.

"You know, you can't just scream bloody murder and expect me to take 'nothing' as an answer."

Moments go by where we stare at each other, both unrelenting. As my anger begins to fade, I expect hurt to surface, but it's like there's a wall of numbness preventing it. Maybe it's because I'm tired and hung over or sick of being on an emotional roller coaster, but I lay down and close my eyes, letting the numbness take over.

The bed dips with Leah's weight, and I prepare myself for the demand of an explanation.

"You don't have to tell me now—just come find me when you're ready," she says. I'm relieved I don't have to tell her now. It might clear whatever is fogging my brain and make everything come rushing back. I just want nothing right now.

"Oh, and stop screaming. You scared the crap out of me." And then she's gone.


	8. Rule Me Out

Challenge Number/Title: #10 – Rule Me Out  
Date Posted: July 24, 2013

Fandom: Twilight  
Rating: NC-17  
Genre: AH  
Content Descriptors: Angst and Romance  
Character Pairing: Jacob and Jasper

**Jasper's POV**

The first thing I notice when I wake up is the fact that I'm in my car. _Great._

I survey the area to figure out where I am, but nothing rings a bell. I guess that's what happens when you decide to drive around in an unfamiliar town. It's small though, so I should be able to get to a main road quickly.

My hand hesitates on the keys in the ignition. What am I supposed to do when I get back to the inn? I'll see Jacob. Should I talk to him? I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

I let my fingers slip from the keys and slump back into my seat. _Fuck._

I've known Jake for so long, how could I have missed this side of him? This whole other personality hiding beneath the man I love. Or at least thought I loved. Can I really love him when I don't even know who he is?

I'm getting a headache from all the questions bumbling around in my head, so I decide to focus on one thing at a time. I start the engine and pull out of the parking space.

Right now, what I need most is to know _why_. Jacob owes me an explanation.

* * *

I find my way back easily. Maybe that's why I hesitate in front of the inn. I thought I would have had more time to figure this out. Now that I'm here—I just don't know what to say.

"Are you just gonna stand there all day?"

I turn around to find Leah standing right behind me. Her eyebrow is arched and lips in a half-smile as if she's teasing me, but I see the worry and slight pity reflecting in her eyes.

"No, I…I was just looking at—" I look around quickly—"your roses."

I sigh and shake my head. That's the most ridiculous lie I've ever told. "Let's just go inside."

The whole inn is fairly quiet save some rustling in the kitchen. I guess that's why I don't notice him at first. But he's there—sitting in a corner in the lounge room. We make eye contact, but neither of us makes a move toward the other.

"Well," Leah says. "I'll just let you two…" She trails off and looks from Jacob to me. I don't want her to be this uncomfortable because of us, so I catch her eye and smile.

She awkwardly smiles back while taking backward steps toward the kitchen. "Yeah, I'll just be in the kitchen."

The atmosphere wasn't nearly as tense before as it is now. I can't get myself to look at him again.

"Jasper…" He has gotten up from the chair and moved closer to me now. His tone is apprehensive, afraid.

Grateful.

"I'm glad you came back, I wa—"

"I didn't come back for you," I say quickly. "I came here for me."

I finally look at him and see only distress. I don't know what to do about that. I need to say things, and he needs to hear them, and the other way around. The truth this time.

"I want—_need_ an explanation."

"You deserve one," he says earnestly. "And I want more than anything to give you one."

I believe him.

He takes a deep breath. "Where do I start?"

"The letter," I say immediately. Jacob nods in understanding.

He tells me everything that happened. He stumbles a bit at first, not knowing how to explain what he felt, the logic behind his actions. I struggle with my emotions. Anger, hurt, confusion, pity, sorrow. It's all there, but I let nothing overwhelm me so Jacob's story will be uninterrupted.

While he's explaining the years after I left, I realize something. The way he talks, the tears that threaten to fall a couple of times and the bursts of anger—he is just now coming to terms with the past. I don't think he even knew how unhappy and lonely he was. _Is._ That's when I begin to understand him and how he changed.

"Emmett was the only thing holding me together. I don't think I'll ever be able to pay him back, and it kills me that I never even tried," Jacob says. His eyes water again, but the tears don't spill over. "I was the worst kind of friend you can imagine, and I didn't even care. I don't know why he didn't just give up on me."

I can't help it anymore. I've been sitting quietly while he told his story until now, in an unspoken agreement that he talks and I listen. But after what he told me, how can I not say anything?

"He knows who you really are." He looks up at me, startled. I continue. "He had hope you'd come back to your old self eventually because he loves you."

He bends over and hides his head in his hands, but not before I see a tear run down his cheek. I have to keep telling myself we both need this—Jacob more than me and more than I thought—otherwise I'll tell him we don't need to do this and can just stop here.

"You need to change your life completely, Jacob. It can't go on like this. _You_ can't go on like this."

This is the part he needs to hear and, most of all, understand.

"You don't want to live your life alone feeling empty inside and being angry at the world. You also shouldn't spend your life pretending to be someone you're not, just so you can have the illusion of not being alone. Not only are you deluding yourself, you're deceiving me, and it's not fair to either of us."

I'm silent for a moment waiting for a reaction. He doesn't give me one, and it makes me angry, so I decide to tell him something I thought about last night when I sat alone in my car analyzing every detail of our past.

"Do you remember our rules?" I ask him. He finally looks up with puffy eyes, reflecting defeat. He nods.

"We _promised_ each other we'd _never_ break them," I say, holding up my hands to count the five rules. "One—we promised to never lie to each other. Two—we promised to never out each other. Three—we promised to never betray each other. Four—we promised to always tell each how we really feel."

I stop, wanting him to tell me the last promise, because even though I've kept my promise with the other four rules, I'm just as guilty for breaking this one as Jacob is.

He sniffs and wipes his cheek, silent tears falling freely. He says with a shaky voice, "Five—we promised to … to never break each other's heart."

He finally breaks down and sobs without restraint. I give up my restraint too and comfort him.

It's not until his sobs die down and his grip on me loosens that I realize why I'm crying too.

This is the end for us.


End file.
